The present invention relates to a method of making a cheese product that has the appearance of a mold ripened veined cheese. More particularly, the present invention includes a method of mixing a colorant into the cheese product to produce a cheese product having the appearance of a mold ripened veined cheese.
The most important mold ripened, veined cheeses are blue veined cheeses such as Blue cheese, Gorgonzola cheese, Stilton cheese and Roquefort cheese such cheeses are produced by inoculating either milk, a curd, or a formed cheese with selected mold spores such as, but not limited to, Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. The mold spores are typically dispersed throughout the milk, the curd or the formed cheese and create distinctive flavor components by breaking down fat, protein and milk sugar such as lactose. In addition to providing the distinctive flavors of the veined cheese, the mold spores also create the veined appearance that provides a strong visual association with the cheese's distinctive flavor.